Not many expected Conor Daly to enjoy the mini-career resurgence that he did after returning to drive for Juncos Hollinger Racing.
He helped to deliver the Argentine-American outfit’s maiden IndyCar podium in just his third race into coming back and sitting behind the wheel of an open-seater.
Most importantly for his team, he managed to secure a spot in the top 22 cars for the year – otherwise known as the leaders circle, which delivers an extra £760,000 ($1 million) to Juncos Hollinger Racing.
With an ultra-competitive landscape for seats on the grid in 2025, it looks unlikely that Daly will be able to compete with the level of sponsorship some drivers bring, but he hasn’t given up all hope yet.
Conor Daly facing drivers with a ‘ton of money’ for Juncos Hollinger seat
Daly’s Milwaukee podium was extra special, not only because it had been eight years since his last, but also because his father claimed third at the same track 37 years before.
There aren’t many drivers who can say that they’ve even scored a point at the same race as a family member, let alone a podium, making the occasion extra sweet for the Daly family.
Discussing his hopes for 2025 on his YouTube channel, Daly was honest in his assessment on the likelihood of a drive.
READ MORE: Alex Palou shares what his next IndyCar ‘goal’ is after winning third championship
“We’re still working with everyone that I’ve worked with in the past,” he said. “Trying to figure out how we put this together because there’s about nine/10 drivers on the list for the JHR team.
“A lot of them have a ton of money – a ton of money! That’s literally what you’re fighting against because it’s business. It’s really really hard to do, I feel like I did my job.”
Who could Juncos Hollinger turn to for 2025?
The two easiest and obvious candidates for a drive next year at Juncos Hollinger would be the two that rounded out the season in impressive style for them – Daly and his teammate Romain Grosjean.
It was reported that Grosjean had been offered a contract by the team, but he is assessing all of his options before moving forward with a decision.
There are likely to be a few Indy NXT drivers calling about an opening, with Louis Foster, Jacob Abel, and Jamie Chadwick having all made their intentions to drive in the big league clear.
READ MORE: Chip Ganassi explains whether he thinks Alex Palou is now among IndyCar’s greatest-ever drivers
Marcus Armstrong, Rinus VeeKay, and Alexander Rossi are all intriguing free agent options who would bring a level of much-needed experience to the team if desired as well.
Whoever team owner Ricardo Juncos decides to go for, he has plenty of options to choose from and appears to be in no rush to make that decision, with six months before the start of next season.